Figure It Out
by Violent 5th Grader
Summary: "You know, you're pretty screwed up Matlin," he finally decided. "I just can't quite figure out how screwed up you are."


**_Author's Note: _**_I was on my tumblr and I asked if I should write a Jatie fic or a Zori fic. You guys said Jatie so here you go!_

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"I can't quite seem to figure you out." Katie turned her head and looked down at Jake Martin from where she was seated on her kitchen counter top as he took a break from fiddling with the sink's pipes.

"I beg your pardon?" she asked with a puzzled tone. Katie still hated her parents for asking Jake's father to help around the house. She insisted that Glen was far too busy but they asked anyway. Of course, Katie had been right, but when Glen declined, Jake stepped up, much to Katie's discomfort. She'd been going out of her way to avoid people from school and Jake just up and volunteered himself to be in her house at all hours. She didn't hate him, but she would have preferred if they'd just hired a normal worker, not one of her peers.

Jake nodded his head as he surveyed her for a moment. She instantly blushed from the embarrassment of being critiqued by one of her classmates, wondering what he was thinking. She had an inkling. He probably thought she looked like a mess. Her light brown her sagged in the sloppy bun she'd thrown it into, her long legs were cold due to her plaid shorts that offered no protection from the frigid countertop, goosebumps visible on her skinny, pale arms. Jake on the other hand looked decent. His hair was brushed, his jeans were clean, his shirt was buttoned nearly all the way up. Compared to him she looked like a trainwreck, though considering how she'd been feeling lately, it seemed fitting.

"You heard me," Jake said as he stood up. Katie glared as he gave her his usual grin, the little half smirk he flashed when he thought he was being cute. She didn't know much about him; they'd gone on one date and didn't talk for months until he offered to do some handiwork for her family, and now she wasn't sure what to make of him. She knew he was smug, she knew he was handsome, but Jake Martin was a complete mystery to her too.

"I guess the feeling's mutual then," she replied, flashing him a similar smirk.

"Cute," he said, bending over to pick up his tools. "But I mean it. For the life of me I can't quite figure out Katie Matlin." She cocked her head to the side and her eyebrows came together in confusion.

"Oh? And why do you want to?" she asked. "I'm sure you've heard all sorts of _wonderful _things about how I got sent to rehab." She tried to hide her scowl behind a mask of indifference, but something about the look Jake gave her made her soften. Maybe he hadn't really paid attention to the rumors that floated around about her. Or perhaps he didn't care. Either way, she didn't feel as if he was judging her and that was more than she could have asked for.

"Not a big fan of gossip," he told her. "Besides, there's more to you than one mistake." Katie was taken back by that but pretended to not be phased. Maybe there was something about Jake Martin that was different than other people.

"Like what?" she asked curiously.

"You're obviously smart," he stated. "You're gorgeous, you're athletic... You're one of those girls that _should_ have it all, but you just _don't_."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest defensively. She should have known it was too good to be true, to be able to have a fresh start with anyone after what happened. Not that she could blame him, she would have judged too if she was anyone else.

"I just meant that there's this whole other side to you that no one knows about. Behind all that perfection, you have problems too, just like everyone else. Just as confused and vulnerable as the rest of us," Jake explained.

"Yeah?" Katie asked inquisitively. "Seems like you've got me all figured out already."

"Not quite," Jake said. "There is one thing I can't figure out." Katie looked at him quizzically as he walked over to her, placing his hands on either side of her on the counter trapping her, though staring into his green eyes was enough to keep her still. Her heartbeat picked up a bit and her cheeks burned, every nerve in her body suddenly sensitive and alive, making her jump as he tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ears.

"What can't you figure out?" she muttered, refusing to break eye contact with him. He smirked, his hands cupping her smooth skin in his hands. She tensed but stayed silent. She didn't bother telling him to move or that she had a boyfriend. When he leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers, she didn't fight him. Instead she kissed him back, letting her eyes flutter shut as the heat spread throughout her body. Her arms snaked their way around his neck and pulled him closer, though no matter how close he moved, it just wasn't close enough. It didn't dawn on her what she'd just done until he pulled away, leaving her even more dazed and confused about Jake Martin than she originally was. They'd barely said two words to each other and suddenly he was kissing her and she was following his lead. What the hell did that mean, and why did she even consider kissing him back?

"You know, you're pretty screwed up Matlin," he finally decided. "I just can't quite figure out how screwed up you are." She eyed him as he moved away from her and she instantly missed the feeling of having him near and forgetting the world. He was right. She was with Drew and she was longing for another boy... She just got out of rehab for overdosing... She was pretty screwed up, wasn't she? She waited for him to gather his things and get ready to leave in silence. She watched his every move, trying to piece together what little she did know about him, but what did that help solve? He was tall, he was rugged, he was handsome, and for some reason he wanted to kiss her at least once in his life. And while she might have been screwed up, so was he in his own special way. He'd fallen for his step-sister, then kissed her best friend, he'd gotten into a big standoff with Eli Goldsworthy at the end of their junior year... Behind all the smugness, there was a truly interesting character behind Jake Martin. Perhaps he had inner demons too as she did, one that had yet to show themselves. Maybe behind all that ego, maybe there was a guy just as fucked up as she was.

But then again, maybe she'd never know. It wasn't her place. She didn't know a damn thing about Jake Martin, and Jake Martin didn't know a damn thing about her.

"Like I said," she told him with a shrug, "The feeling is mutual." He chuckled and shook his head as he walked out of the kitchen, stopping in the doorway to give her one last look.

"I really don't fucking get you Katie Matlin."


End file.
